# The song "Gimme Shelter" - when was it written? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 19, 2007, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-song-gimme-shelter-when-was-it-written/396600 "2007-03-19T18:08:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2007, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-song-gimme-shelter-when-was-it-written/396600/1 "2007-03-19T18:08:03Z")
It’s a song I like a lot - _especially_ Merry Clayton’s contribution. I always thought the song was written _after_ the tragic Altamont concert of Dec 1969. (particularly because of the violent lyrics) So, basically, was it written before or after Altamont? If it were written _before_ Altamont, it seems as if it would be a case of life imitating art. (I’ve tried searching the Internet but could not find the answer.) ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2007, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-song-gimme-shelter-when-was-it-written/396600/2 "2007-03-19T18:17:19Z")
It was written, recorded and released before Altamont. “Let It Bleed” came out November 28, 1969. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2007, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-song-gimme-shelter-when-was-it-written/396600/3 "2007-03-19T18:17:27Z")
[QUOTE=wolf\_meister] It’s a song I like a lot - _especially_ Merry Clayton’s contribution. I always thought the song was written _after_ the tragic Altamont concert of Dec 1969. (particularly because of the violent lyrics) So, basically, was it written before or after Altamont? If it were written _before_ Altamont, it seems as if it would be a case of life imitating art. (I’ve tried searching the Internet but could not find the answer.) [/QUOTE] \*Let It Bleed \* was released on November 28, 1969. Altamont was on December 6, 1969. ---
**Author:** ![Cabbage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@Cabbage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabbage)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2007, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-song-gimme-shelter-when-was-it-written/396600/4 "2007-03-19T18:21:52Z")
Thanks for asking this. Oddly enough, just an hour ago while driving home, the song came over the radio and the exact same question occurred to me. Thanks to **fishbicycle** we’ve got the answer. But I looked it up on Wikipedia to see if I could find anything. I didn’t find the answer, but I did find this interesting bit of trivia: > [@](#): > > Merry Clayton reportedly suffered a miscarriage due to the intensity of her performance on the song. Damn! > **[Gimme Shelter](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimmie_Shelter)** > > "Gimme Shelter"\[a\] is a song by the British rock band the Rolling Stones. Written by Jagger–Richards, it is the opening track of the band's 1969 album Let It Bleed. The song covers the brutal realities of war, including murder, rape and fear. It features prominent guest vocals by American singer Merry Clayton. American author, music journalist and cultural critic Greil Marcus, writing for Rolling Stone magazine at the time of its release, praised the song, stating that the band has "never done ... ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2007, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-song-gimme-shelter-when-was-it-written/396600/5 "2007-03-19T18:40:48Z")
Thanks for the quick answers folks. **Cabbage** Great minds think alike I guess. 🙂 Yes the song _seems_ to have been inspired by Altamont but it sure seems creepier knowing that it was released _before_ that ill-fated concert. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2007, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-song-gimme-shelter-when-was-it-written/396600/6 "2007-03-19T19:19:10Z")
Anyone old enough to have lived through 1968 knows there was plenty of stuff before Altamont that inspired a need for shelter. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2007, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-song-gimme-shelter-when-was-it-written/396600/7 "2007-03-19T19:22:40Z")
[QUOTE=Voyager] Anyone old enough to have lived through 1968 knows there was plenty of stuff before Altamont that inspired a need for shelter. [/QUOTE] Indeed; the song isn’t all that different from the previous year’s “Street Fighting Man.” ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2007, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-song-gimme-shelter-when-was-it-written/396600/8 "2007-03-19T19:55:27Z")
[slight hijack] If you’re looking for a song that **was** inspired by Altamont, try “New Speedway Boogie” on _Workingman’s Dead_.[/slight hijack]